Tasmin Little and Wayne Marshall at The National Concert Hall

national | arts and media | news report Thursday May 19, 2005 16:19 by Sean Crudden - impero sean at impero dot iol dot ie Jenkinstown, Dundalk, Co Louth. 087 9739945

An Object Lesson in Performance

Tasmin Little (violin) was accompanied last night in The National Concert Hall by Wayne Marshall (piano).

"I met with Napper Tandy and he took me by the hand.
He said ‘How is old Ireland and how does she stand?’
‘It’s the most disgraceful country you have ever seen.
They’re hanging men and women for the wearing of the green.’"

Tasmin Little wore emerald sparkling green in the National Concert Hall last night. Her gown was string shouldered and body hugging. She wore, in contrast, patent black, sling-backed medium high-heels. Wayne Marshall, her accompanist, was clad in black - his "top" a simple long-sleeved polo-neck type of shirt. I think that red and black are the anarchist’s colours. Black and green seem to me to stand also for something - the combination of colours will certainly live on in my mind as standing for last night’s concert in NCH. The performers were obviously in good form, relaxed, and they made themselves at home. There was no untoward demonstration of this but they - especially Tasmin - were acutely aware of their audience and the audience were sympathetic and receptive. You have to balance this against the fact that there were quite a few empty seats throughout the body of the hall and especially in the main gallery.

Wayne Marshall was a study in himself. He displayed all his race’s characteristic natural affinity with music. His playing was full of weight, buoyancy and point - like a big man with a very light step. Looking down on him from my seat in the choir balcony it was clearly obvious how much he played with his ears. When he played solo - an improvisation on the tune of "Danny Boy" - he held the audience in the palm of his hand.

Tasmin Little bowed many very beautiful notes. And her connection with the audience was sweet. After a pipe-opener by Kreisler she played three full sonatas (Bach, Grieg, Prokofiev) and finished up with a number of very pleasing concoctions of tunes such as "Begin the Beguine," "Summertime" and "Who Could Ask for Anything More." When I was young when we enquired off our friends how good a sweet was an important part of the question was, "has it lasting in it?" Well this concert lasted including a break from 8.00 p.m. till 10.20 p.m. - a generous helping of music out of the top drawer. More than that it is impossible for me to quantify the substance and worth of the concert.

I read in the program that the music building in The University of Bradford has been named "The Tasmin Little Music Centre." It is no wonder.